Ali MacGraw Remembers Her ‘Charming’ Love Story Costar Ryan O’Neal After His Death: ‘I Shall Miss Him’

But MacGraw remembers her Love story costar Ryan O’Neal, who died Friday at age 82.

“Working with Ryan, all those years ago, was one of the great experiences of my film career and we remained friends forever after. He was a skilled actor, charming and funny,” said MacGraw, 84 — who played O’Neal’s girlfriend. and woman in the classic 1970 romantic film written by Erich Segal — in a statement shared with PEOPLE this weekend.

She continued: “I know a large part of my success was due to his generosity as a teammate. It was devastating to know how ill Ryan had been for many years, and I was not surprised to learn that he passed away yesterday morning.”

MacGraw added that her “heart” went out to O’Neal’s children and loved ones, before reflecting on her more recent experiences with the late actor.

“Thankfully, he was surrounded by his son Patrick and a small group of lifelong close friends,” she said, adding: “My heart goes out to all four of his children and to the people who loved him the most. Ryan and I worked together again before several years with the road company for Love letters. It was a wonderful experience and I will miss him and the fun we shared……and I pray he finally finds peace.”

MacGraw played the working-class Jenny Cavilleri opposite O’Neal’s over-the-top Oliver Barrett IV. The two students were from different backgrounds, but they fell in love and got married. Jenny and Oliver were about to start a family when they learned that MacGraw’s character was dying of an undisclosed illness.

Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw in ‘Love Story’.

Paramount/Getty

The film is responsible for millions of tears being shed, as well as the classic line: “Love means you never have to say you’re sorry.”

In 2021, to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary, the two actors reflected on their relationship and the making of the film with PEOPLE.

“We had absolutely nothing in common,” MacGraw told PEOPLE when asked about her chemistry with O’Neal. “He was a kid from California, he was a movie star, he was athletically built.”

Tribute to celebrities who died in 2023

Despite their differences, “we just clicked,” recalled MacGraw, a relative newcomer. O’Neal agreed, saying, “It was magic.”

MacGraw was moved by the script, but she couldn’t have predicted how it would become a cultural phenomenon. “I had no idea until the night we saw it,” she said, “and the whole audience was crying at the end.”

O’Neal recalled driving by the Village Theater in LA’s Westwood neighborhood with a few friends “to see if there was a line,” he said. “There was one all the way around the block and when we asked, ‘Is this for this show?’ They said ‘No, that’s for the next one.’ ”

But MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal.

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One of MacGraw’s favorite scenes is when she and O’Neal are playing in the snow without any dialogue, she said.

Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal Reunite to Discuss ‘Fast 50’ Years Since Love Story Released

“We’d make snow angels and crazy things to relax and for someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, which would be me, it’s a huge relief because you’re not thinking, ‘Oh, I forgot my line,'” she recalled.

When we look back at what has been done Love story success, MacGraw credits O’Neal as well as director Arthur Hiller and other members of the behind-the-scenes crew.

“Everybody knew what they were doing,” MacGraw told PEOPLE in 2021. “And so, having worked behind the camera for so long and loved it, I have a tremendous amount of respect for that part of what makes a movie great. And all the parts worked together.”

In 2015, the pair reunited for a production Love lettersAR Gurney’s acclaimed Broadway show, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

“It feels so great to be together again,” MacGraw said at the time. “Our chemistry hasn’t changed. We still feel the same way about each other.”

But MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal.

LEE CELANO/AFP via Getty

O’Neal agreed, saying, “We’re more than friends. She’s like my sister, only she’s better at locking the door at night so I can’t get in. We have unfinished business and time is running out!”

The late star said he believed fate brought them together to do the show: “Working together again is a dream come true,” he said. “But it is original. She is gifted and sensitive to others and we have never had a fight or a cross in all these years.”

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